Reviews by basica:

Had this on tap at Baird Beer Nakameguro Taproom in Nakameguro, Tokyo, Japan - http://bairdbeer.com/en/taproom/nakameguro-taproom

A - Tapped a jet black color into a small taster glass yielding a large, round milky tan head (4.5)

S - Fresh roasted malts with some smokiness on the nose (4)

T - Pleasant leathery flavors upfront with roasted malts showing up in the middle; hop sneak in towards the finish, lasting well into the after taste along with roasted malts and a moderate bitterness. Generally very delectable stout flavors but more pronounced on the leather tastes than most stouts I have tried (4.5)

M - Light to medium bodied with an apt amount of carbonation and a very creamy smooth texture; I would prefer a slightly thicker body for this style. Goes down extremely quickly and easily (4)

D - One of the most refreshing Imperial Stout you can find; great flavors and mouth feel lends credence to its wonderful drinkability (5)

This was the second of 3 beers I sampled at Baird's Nakameguro Taproom. The other 2 beers I had were the Jubilation Ale 2010 and the West Coast Wheat Wine

More User Reviews:

Appearance - Poured an opaque black with a frothy patchy quarter inch tan head that falls to patches but leaves patches along the cap. Smell - Hop forward with a sweet molasses in the background. Some faint hints of plum and raisin. Pleasant aroma, I expected more roasty aromas though.

Taste/Mouth - Thin feel with a dry oatmeal like taste. Some malty sweetness with a dry bitter hop finish. Carbonation is mild and pleasant I just wish this had a fuller body, it could be a lot better.

Overall - Not bad, but not what I expected or hoped for. With a dark ominous label and a big aroma I expected to be wowed, but wasn't. Very average beer.

Dark Sky opens with a malty, yeasty nose that also bears a slight sourness, as of rising sourdough bread or marble rye dough. Black and chocolate malts are dominant, as are dark and sour fruit esters such as black cherry, fig, raisin, and prune. Some of the sour aromas may stem from a large hop addition, which does bring lemon/lime notes, as well as some grapefruit. As a whole, the nose is potent and nicely geared towards darker aromas, with just enough ash and tobacco to bring a smoky quality to what promises to be a sugary, chewy mouthful.

On the tongue, the beer opens with the same strangely sour notes detected in the nose, as in sourdough breads, lemon/lime sodas, and dandelion stems, these backed by a massive black and chocolate malt base that adds huge black coffee, tobacco, ash, and burnt offerings to the mix. The sourness lasts throughout the mouthful, not irritating or offputting, but definitely strange, as in when bright garlic-lemon collard greens are paired with the blackened ends of a well-done roast. These plant-stem notes become somehow more potent in subsequent mouthfuls, overpowering even the darker malts. The aftertaste is a continuation of the same, though the sour notes do die off faster than do the tobacco and ash flavors, leaving a more pleasant and familiar Imperial Stout memory. Mouthfeel is medium, and carbonation is medium-light.

Overall, this is certainly one of the more strange Imperial Stouts I've tasted, and knowing the beer is from Japan, I couldn't help but make soy sauce associations with the sour notes present in the mouthful. My bottle lacks a born-on date, so I have no idea what aging has happened since this was bottled. The beer does seem out-of-balance, however, as the plant stem/soy sauce/sour notes actually distract from the far more sugary and dark base--a base that would be enjoyable, were it more apparent. The beer also suffers from a slight alcoholic bite, the 9% ABV not quite hidden.

Winey and malty aromas, burnt grain, coffee
Bright dark brown under a 1" rocky tan tinted off-white foam cap.
Palate: It has the malt which starts at first but then it blossoms into a coffee, burnt grain astringency. The malt is a bit different here than in some of the other Imperial stouts. The roastiness of the grain is more prominent – it is a little drier and thinner than some of the other Imperial Stouts but then at the same time the flavors are very deep. There is some caramel in the flavor.
Medium to a shade less on the body, medium to medium high carbonation.

Another rare find at the SDIBF. A little more brown than black. Aroma was subdued, no noticeable chococoffee thing going on. Alcohol and wood aroma.

Taste, getting better, the coffee came out, deep burnt caramel. Making me think imperial porter instead of imperial stout. The alcohol is still there, but mellowing from where it was in the nose. Not as thick viscosity wise as many RIS. More bitter and hoppy than I was expecting. A unique RIS, its big negative for me is that it isn't thick enough. Reminiscient of home brew that the guy cuts corners cost production wise in the malt area for his stout.

With more heft, this could be a phenomenal beer, for now, its just unique and interesting, which isn't a bad thing.

(Served in a snifter)
A- This beer pours a jet black body with a bubble sticky film swirling on top. There is a gentle carbonation of tiny bubbles that glide to the surface.
S- This beer has a smooth roasted black malt aroma with a deep red wine quality to it and a black grain hint in the finish. T- This beer has as big roasted chocolate flavor with a dark cola notes underneath. There is a red wine quality without the tannins. This beer has a slight tang in the finish with a roasted note and a nice bitter black note. There is a bourbon note without any booziness.
M- This beer has a medium-light mouthfeel with no alcohol heat and a texture that coats the mouth with each sip.
D- This beer has full flavor but all the mellow qualities making it mysterious smooth and good depth in subtly. There is a dark malt richness that still shows of the subtle complexities.

633ml bottle. Dark Sky - a very appropriate name for an RIS. The label artwork does this moniker justice in its usual restrained grandeur.

This beer pours a thorough, seamless black, save some slight mahogany basal edges when thrust into the light, and gives up two fat fingers of thick, foamy beige head, which leaves a solid paint job of lace around the glass in its wake.

The carbonation is well sedated - barely a frothy tic to be had for a dime - the body full in weight, smooth, and somewhat creamy, offset by some minor hop astringency. It finishes quite sweet, the fruity malt most predominant, with more Ottoman confection, bitter hops, and a sidling alcohol heat rounding things out.

A very drinkable version of the style - that bizarro-world fruitiness contributing to an enjoyably skewed big beer experience, one that is hardly affected by the near 10 points of ABV. Worth trying out, if only to see what might have happened if the Russkies looked the other way on the map for this brew.

On-tap at Dieu du Ciel's Japan taps special. Black body with some white head. Above average carbonation. Chocolate and coffee, centennial and amarillo hops, giving it an American experience. A bit of mould in there. Was not very complex, this is a fresh tap yet did not display its best on tour.

Thanks to Foofaa for sharing this 633 mL capped bottle. The label is very Hokusai-ian.

A: The stout is predictably black. There are no brown hues or off colors here, just darkness. A tan colored head stands in contrast to the ale.

S: The nose is amply roasted, burnt breads and the like. A strong streak of caramel cuts through the roasted notes, a brief dose of sweetness. Just a little bit of smokiness lingers around.

T: The stout is appropriately rich, both in the roasted and sweet departments. Burnt toast and dark breads follow an initial spurt of caramel (similar in sweetness to the nose). Seemingly out of place, a smokey flavor runs through the middle of each sip. The burnt flavors return with a bang, seeing the stout away with rich syrupy chocolate and roasted grains.

M: The mouthfeel runs all over the place, from roasted to caramel to syrup to sweet to smoke. The range of flavors makes the stout much more approachable.

633 ml bottle. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with a half inch tan head that stays around for a little while. Not much lacing. The aroma is nice, the brew smells like roasted malt, chocolate, toffee, and some coffee. The flavor is more bitter than I expected it to be since the aroma was sweeter. It tastes like dark chocolate, roasted malt, coffee, and some licorice. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit coating but it also seems thin for an imperial stout. The carbonation is low. I think it's a solid brew, but I was disappointed in this one since the other Baird beers I've tried in the past I liked a lot. I'd like to try this again in the future, but I think I'll wait a while before I do. $10.98 a bottle.